The Descent Of Man. By Charles Darwin. Full Audiobook
"The Descent of Man" is a book written by Charles Darwin, first published in 1871. The book is divided into three parts. In the first part, Darwin discusses whether man is descended from an earlier form, concluding that to deny a common descent would be unreasonable. In the second part, he discusses the way man has developed. Finally, in the third part, he evaluates the differences among the human races. Darwin develops his arguments through many examples from a wide range of sources.

In the first two chapters, Darwin describes physical correspondences between man and the other vertebrates, concluding that to deny a common descent would be unreasonable. Only prejudice and arrogance, he says, would explain a rejection of this evidence. Man’s mental powers are compared at length with those of the other animals. Darwin finds many animals capable of some reasoning, and he also finds parallels between man’s use of language and the cries of animals. Most significant, perhaps, are his tentative remarks about man’s religious instincts and the instincts of animals.

Darwin devotes eleven chapters to the principles of sexual selection among animals and to their secondary sexual characteristics. The four chapters on birds give much information on the sexual functions of their plumage, their calls, and their behavior patterns. The last three chapters are a special section on “Sexual Selection in Relation to Man.” Much of the discussion in this part treats the role of beauty in determining marriages. Darwin also studies marriage customs among primitive people.

In conclusion, Darwin emphasizes that humans are descended from “barbarians.” He compares our ancestors to the natives he had seen on Tierra del Fuego. Rather than being distressed by his findings, Darwin insists that man should feel pride at having ascended from lowly origins.

I hope this summary helps!
More: evolutionary theory, sexual selection, human evolution
evolutionary psychology, evolutionary ethics, human races
sexes, superiority of men, society
mental powers, lower animals, intellectual faculties
moral faculties, affinities, genealogy

00:00:00 PART 2. SEXUAL SELECTION. Chapter 8. Principles Of Sexual Selection
02:50:11 Chapter 9. Secondary Sexual Characters In The Lower Classes Of The Animal Kingdom
03:28:31 Chapter 10. Secondary Sexual Characters Of Insects
04:55:39 Chapter 11. Insects, Continued
06:04:54 Chapter 12. Secondary Sexual Characters Of Fishes, Amphibians, And Reptiles
07:14:54 Chapter 13. Secondary Sexual Characters Of Birds
09:06:47 Chapter 14. Birds--Continued
10:56:30 Chapter 15. Birds--Continued

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